After a lengthy holiday break, the Georgetown Hoyas (3-5 overall, 1-3 Big East) are back in action at 7:30 PM tonight when they host the Marquette Golden Eagles (5-5 overall, 1-3 Big East). The Hoyas are coming off back-to-back double-digit road losses and will look to get things back on track within the friendly confines of McDonough Arena.
It’s been an up and down season for the Golden Eagles. After notching quality wins over ranked Wisconsin and Creighton teams, Marquette has hit a rough patch, losing their last three games to fall to 1-3 in conference play. In their most recent outing on Dec. 23, the Golden Eagles suffered a 17-point home loss to #4 Villanova in a game that was never really competitive in the second half. Against the Hoyas, Coach Steve Wojciechowski will certainly be looking to get his team back in the win column and escape the basement of the Big East standings.
There certainly have been some growing pains for the Golden Eagles, who are still searching for an identity after four years of being the Markus Howard show. Patrick Ewing spoke to this during Friday’s media availability, saying, “Last year, one guy dominated the ball. This year, it’s a lot different. The scoring comes from everywhere.” Ewing has a point: four Marquette players average double figures, but none averages more than 15 points per game. As such, both Ewing and freshman point guard Dante Harris emphasized the importance of team defense. “It’s not about who I’m gonna guard or who my other teammates can guard,” said Harris. “It’s gonna take a collective effort to stop their whole team.”
For Marquette, senior guard Koby McEwan leads the way at 14.2 points per game. McEwan is a threat from three-point range, knocking down an impressive 43.8% of his attempts from beyond the arc thus far.
In the video above, McEwan makes the Creighton defender pay for giving him even just a foot of space. As a team, the Golden Eagles are shooting 39.6% from deep, good for 24th in the nation. The Hoyas rank near the bottom of the NCAA with 26.4 three-point attempts allowed per game; they’ll have to do a better job of running Marquette’s shooters off the three-point line if Georgetown is to emerge victorious.
McEwan is joined in the backcourt by Ohio State transfer DJ Carton, who pitches in a respectable 11.8 points per game while dishing out a team-high 3.6 assists per game. Carton has struggled with turnovers at times, averaging over three per game in conference play thus far. It will be interesting to keep an eye on the match-up between Carton and Dante Harris, two young guards who make their respective teams go. Whichever player can do a better job of minimizing turnovers while staying aggressive will give their team the edge.
In the frontcourt, the Golden Eagles pair veteran bruiser Theo John with talented freshman Dawson Garcia. While John stands at just 6’9”, his strength and physicality have given Georgetown problems in the past. Back in 2019, he posted 14 points (tying a career high) as the Golden Eagles took down the Hoyas. Georgetown will need to match John’s physicality in order to limit his impact on both ends of the floor. I expect Ewing to put Qudus Wahab on Theo John and task Jamorko Pickett with shutting down Dawson Garcia. Speaking of Garcia, the ESPN Top 100 recruit has lived up to the hype thus far, averaging 12.7 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game.
Even with his length, the 6’1” Garcia can score at all three levels; in the video above, he attacks the rim and finishes over two defenders. This versatility will present a real challenge for Pickett and the rest of the Georgetown defense.
While slowing down Marquette will be crucial to a Georgetown victory, getting the Hoyas’ offense going will be just as (if not more) important. “I don’t think we have that type of team that can lock down a team that much,” said Ewing on Friday. “So we have to be able to defend and also be able to score on the other end.” Last time out against Seton Hall, Georgetown was ice cold in the first half, scoring just 19 points while shooting an ugly 22% from the floor. It’s close to impossible to win games while shooting that poorly. We’ll see if Pickett can break out of his scoring slump- he has averaged just 7 points per game on 27% shooting over the last three games- and get the Hoyas’ offense back on track.
With both Marquette and Georgetown not having played a game in more than a week, I’ll be interested to see whether either team shows signs of rust or if the time off has proved beneficial. “We practiced, we brought their families in town for Christmas, we gave them the opportunity to come to my house for dinner,” commented Ewing when asked what the Hoyas have been up to during their holiday break. “But most of the time was spent on trying to get us better,” he added. Let’s hope that work has paid off.
Jacob’s Prediction (8-0 on the season): Georgetown 77, Marquette 73
I’m very much on the fence with this pick, mostly because I don’t know what to make of Marquette. At times, the Golden Eagles have looked like one of the best teams in the Big East, but they’ve also struggled, especially of late. Similarly to Seton Hall, Marquette is a tall team and has a good deal of experience with three seniors in their starting line-up. With both Georgetown and Marquette having an extended break to prepare, I’m expecting a get-right game for one (or both) of these teams. I’ll roll with the home team here and bet on Jamorko Pickett breaking out of his shooting slump. Let’s start 2021 on a positive note!
Will’s Prediction (7-1 on the season): Marquette 73, Georgetown 62
I wish I shared Jacob’s optimism, if only for the sole reason that it’s hilarious watching Wojo get super angry and his face turning red as a beet every time Marquette is losing to us. But alas, I’m not as optimistic.
Marquette doesn’t boast any one primary scorer this year (such as Markus Howard), but I think the more balanced scoring attack will give the Georgetown defense fits. One thing’s for sure: this game isn’t going to be pretty, with the two worst defenses in the Big East going at it after a long holiday lay-off.
